Black Balloon
by streco
Summary: I didn’t move from my fetal position on the ground because of the terrifying premonition I’d just seen played before my eyelids. Voice? I asked in my head, ignoring Fang’s worried voice over everything else. That was your future, the Voice whispered.
1. Prologue: Epiphany

You know what? Chances are, I won't finish this. But ya know… I totally feel like writing some MR fanfiction. I started rereading the books on a whim. I first read them when I was… twelve maybe? And I still love them (:

I think this is just going to be basically set after book two… I can't stand the last two books, really. So… yeah.

* * *

Black Balloon  
Prologue: Epiphany

"_You know the lies they always told you and the love you never knew  
What's the things they never showed you_  
_That swallowed the light from the sun in your room?"_  
"Black Balloon" Goo Goo Dolls

* * *

Do you _really _want to know what I was doing? Because if I tell you, I'm sure you're going to run away, screaming, and stop reading. Which is arguably one of the last things I want you to do right now, because of that whole "don't put down this book or you're chum!" thing we've got going on… or was that your life depended on it or something?

Regardless.

Okay, okay… I guess I can tell you.

Remember that whole "let's drop off the radar and get an island!" moment? When Fang was like "here I go, having an epiphany" and stuff. So yeah. I actually… listened to him? Scary thing is, this isn't even the part where you run away yet.

So here I am, sitting, swinging in a hammock, and sipping lemonade from a tall glass with a bendy straw and a little umbrella in it.

Are you screaming yet?

I swear to God, that's what I was doing. With the umbrella and everything. Down to the last specific detail, I was relaxing. Literally relaxing. Not running from anything, or anyone, or any situation. The perfect life. Fang was reading a book, lying in the shadow of a plam tree, facing the sky – his long legs were vertical against the trunk of the tree. Nudge and Iggy were picking berries in a small berry patch maybe a few hundred yards down the beach, and Angel and Gazzy were playing in the water, splashing each other playfully in their brand new swimsuits.

This was usually about the time the skull-smashing agonyfest known as a brain explosion began.

_Three… two… one…_

A scream tore from my throat and my hands flew to my head, latching on and holding on for dear life, as if by squeezing my head tighter, it would smother the pain.

A soft, concerned voice was small in the back of my mind. "Max?" _Fang_. Possibly the only thing that would ever clink on all cylinders during a moment like this: Fang's name. He was here. The kids were here. But _where _was here? I couldn't remember. The pain was everywhere; I couldn't see anything else.

One specific image splashed across the backs of my eyelids, the most prominent thing of all, and it was possibly the one thing that scared me the most.

Bright, bloodred eyes, a dark figure in a shadowed room. _"Max_,_" _it whispered, moving closer, a clawed hand extending from its body. _"Max. You've finally found me_._" _The voice was like molasses – slow moving and thick, some odd accent tinting it. It was deep and frightening – I screamed as loud as I could again out of pure fear, though I didn't know why. _"Don't fear me, Max… and do not be angry. The death of your friends cannot be reversed, my dear. All you can do now is submit."_

Another shout bubbled through my lips, but this one of emotional distress. The death of my friends? _The death of my friends?_

The scalding image of the dark creature without a name remained behind my eyelids, even as the pain ebbed away, slowly and thickly. I didn't move from my fetal position on the ground, didn't put effort in to stop shaking or crying, because of the terrifying premonition I'd just seen played before my eyelids.

_Voice? _I asked in my head, ignoring Fang's worried voice over everything else. _Voice, what the hell was that?_

There was a pause, a dreadful one.

_That was your future, _the Voice whispered.

* * *

Not well written, but I love the idea that just shot up. :D

Review! :)

Steph.


	2. Pressure

Thanks for all the reviews

Thanks for all the reviews! I feel so special :D Alright alrighttttt… soooo… this will be better written. Promise.

However. It may take a little while for updates, considering I'm in all honors classes with field hockey practices every day after school until five PM EST. But I'll definitely try, lovies.

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1. Pressure

_"You're talking in your sleep like there's nothing more to lose  
Well, hey, you know you're not alone, cause honey I get lonely too  
And it feels so familiar, must have been here before, singing,  
I don't wanna go, but I don't wanna hurt anymore, for heaven's sake."_  
"For Heaven's Sake" Thriving Ivory

* * *

"Max?" Fang asked, his voice very cautious. It wasn't as guarded as it usually was – usually he was composed, even when my brain was ripping itself into tiny pieces. Maybe it was the tears along with the terrified screaming. God knew that Fang could differentiate from the different types of screams I had. Seriously. He knows these things. How long have we been best friends?

"That one was different," Iggy whispered, but his voice sounded broken. "It's never happened like that before." I could hear the shiver in his voice.

"She's crying. But… not because of pain, as much," the Gasman said. "I… can tell, for some reason. She's… scared. And sad. Really, really sad."

In my semi-consciousness, I could feel Angel's timid mind poking into mine, which was still tender. I flinched physically, hoping it would keep her out. I needed a bit of time to compose myself, and then I could start doing something that could keep her out.

Still unmoving, I processed the same scene in my mind many, many times, studying the background, which was a solid, opaque wall of black; the outlined figure, which I could some how pick out from the plain background; and the red, bloodthirsty eyes, which were enough to make me shiver and moan all over again. Not to mention the utter horrifying chime to his words.

Suddenly, I was moving, and things around me were rustling. The cool October air felt good on my face, pushing my hair around in swirls and whirlwinds, but I still couldn't fully get what was happening.

"… you don't need me to call nine-one-one?"

My eyes flew open, and I nearly fell out of Fang's arms in an attempt to set myself vertical. He was carrying me, one hand under my knees and the other on my back; acting like it was second nature to him. Any other situation, I would've blushed at the thought of that single sentence.

Not now.

"I'm fine," I forced out in a good tone. It didn't come out as leaderly as I'd hoped, but at least it didn't shake or crack or anything.

Information came flying back at me at high speed. We'd been spending the week in a church basement, trying out hardest to not be caught. We'd eaten the nonperishable foods that they collected at each mass – don't look at me like that, _we _have to eat, too. It's the same as giving it to the needy, if not better – and simply thrived down there. Now, I'm guessing I'd just blown our cover, and anything nice that we'd had going.

I groaned angrily at my own stupidity. "Why am I such an idiot?" I mumbled.

What usually would've been a snide comment from Fang was silence.

He carried me a short while longer, and I realized that we were in a small park maybe a mile from the church. "Can you walk?" he asked, concerned, and I nodded as best I could.

He set me on my feet, and instantly, my knees buckled.

Fang's arms shot out reflectively and caught me, giving me a wary glance. I nodded and made sure my limbs were working. "I'm okay," I told him softly, and had to bite my lip to keep from crying.

Iggy stepped out in front of us, standing very still for a moment. "There isn't anything out there," he reported. "Big, good-sized tree in front of us… good height."

Each of us scaled the tree quickly and gracefully – except for maybe me. My bearings were still scattered, and my head was still aching painfully. Nobody said a word about my most recent brain explosion; we just tapped fists and everyone fell into a peaceful sleep.

Except Fang and I, of course.

"What was _that?_" Fang asked when we were positive the rest of the flock was asleep.

"I…" I inhaled a shaky breath. "I don't know."

Doing a barrel roll off his branch, he landed peacefully on the ground below. "Get down here."

I obeyed him, and he started to walk off in the direction of what sounded like a small stream.

The full moon was high in the sky over the stream, and he sat down at the water's edge, throwing small pebbles into the rippling current. I mimicked him, trying to figure out what I was going to tell him, and how he was going to take it.

After a long time of silence, without turning to me, me asked, "What did you see?"

"What do you mean?"

He rolled his eyes. "Max. You were _screaming_. Did you _hear _yourself? You've never screamed like that during a brain attack. Ever. You've cried, but not like _that_. Gazzy even said – "

"What does _Gazzy _know about my emotions, Fang?"

"New skill," he finished swiftly. "He can feel emotions. Don't ask me where this is coming from, because I don't have an answer." He picked up a slightly larger rock and hurled it farther than the others, listening as it ricocheted off of a tall oak tree off in the distance. "Just tell me what happened. I don't think I've ever felt so helpless…"

Fang was opening up to me, finally. But about the one topic I did not want to speak.

"If I tell you," I breathed, "can you not tell any of them? Not let Angel hear it in your thoughts? And… not judge me as you wish to?"

His dark, dark blue eyes solemnly studied me. The piercing concern had still not left them. "What happened?"

That was the most confirmation I was going to get, I figured.

As slowly and calmly as I could, I explained the video that had played before my eyes. I ignored the scene that happened before it – it was just another short, pleasant scenario that was ruined by an explosion, as always.

As I told Fang this story, his eyes widened farther than I'd ever seen them go. This was huge.

I noticed that tears came to my eyes as I told it – there was that unknown fear, and that unseen dread that made me feel like this was true.

I neglected to mention the Voice's two cents at the end, but Fang caught it. "There was something else. Something that pushed you over."

Sighing, I tugged at a strand of my hair and tucked it behind my ear. "The Voice told me it was my future."

There was silence in the woods – not a cricket chirped or any of that. Completely silent, and I felt a rock settle in my stomach.

"We'll make it through this," Fang promised, and he put a hand on my shoulder. "We always have before."

I didn't move.

After a long time of sitting there, watching the water, the two of us stood up at the same time and began to head back to the tree. Once reaching the base, we jumped into the branches, counting bird kids and stacking fists. We lay on adjacent branches, facing each other, only the small space in between us to set us apart.

Without warning, a tear slid from my eye, down my cheek, and then off of my face.

Fang's hand shot out and caught it. He turned his palm over and we watched the tear fall to the ground. He took my hand in his and squeezed it tight once, and I squeezed it back.

I actually got some sleep that night.

* * *

Just to let you know: YES. I do believe Fang's eyes are blue. Jimmy Pats only says "dark", never specifies brown. And even if he does, I'm calling the freaking shots, FANG HAS BLUE EYES IN MY FICS :D

Quick update, sorry its so cheesy/bad/horrible/suckish but whatever.

I'm going to bed. NIGHTTT.

steph.


	3. Desire

Thanks for all the reviews! Once again, might be slow on the updating… I'm seriously exhausted right now as I write this. FYI… this story is going to start getting REALLY creepy. Hahahaha. I noticed that when I got to the end of the chapter. I was like … ummm… ew?

* * *

2. Desire

"_We hold these truths self-evident, the lies we used to represent who we are  
Because it was never meant to be; and all the songs we used to sing  
They used to tell us everything, all about how it was never meant to be.  
But the better days behind us now, we all need someone to tell us how  
To save the state of where we are, it keeps demanding more and more and more._"  
"Save Us" Cartel

* * *

When I came around to consciousness, I could hear soft voices conversing, along with the soft crackling of bacon in grease, which was very odd, because I didn't remember ever getting bacon from anywhere. For a split second, I panicked and tensed up, afraid I was maybe having one of those paradise dreams before the brain attacks, but the smell was in the air, and voices instantly hushed up when I moved. I mumbled a few times for effect and then rolled over, so my ears were closer to where the conversation was being held.

"She's restless," Nudge murmured sadly. "What _happened _yesterday?"

"Just another brain attack," Fang reported dutily, and I withheld my sigh of relief. He wouldn't rat me out. There was no need to scare the kids about something like this unless we were one hundred percent sure it was going to happen. And before telling them, even, find a way to stop it.

There was no way I could just let it happen, of course. The Voice had said it was my future, but the future is a very fragile thing. Simple decisions can alter everything. Duh, Alice Cullen taught us all that. But aside from that, it was impossible that I would let the flock die. Ever. I'd die before they would. It's a well-known fact.

"That couldn't have been just a brain attack, Fang," Iggy snapped. "She was crying. In sadness. Gazzy told us, and he _feels _feelings."

"I couldn't get at her thoughts," Angel reported, and luckily she wasn't pressing at mine. She was staying out, which was very nice of her.

"That wasn't like other times," Iggy repeated, his voice proving that he was very shaken. "I don't think I've ever heard her scream like that. Intense emotional distress. Something really, really bad happened. The Voice must've…"

Fang cut him off before he could develop the idea further. "Maybe it was something more. You think she would tell me?"

My heart fell at the sound of Fang's voice when he asked this – like it was the last thing I would ever do – but the rest of the flock's answer was unanimous: "Yes."

Someone moved – by the frightening gracefulness, I knew it was Fang – and started putting more logs on the fire.

"I mean, it's not like it's a bad thing or anything," Nudge covered, sounding indifferent. "It's not like I'm mad about it. It's just like, it's always been that way. None of us mind. You tell Max everything" – Fang snorted – "and Max tells you everything. It's just like, the way it's always been, you know? Which is good, because I think Max would, like, explode if she didn't tell you some stuff, you know? Like sometimes I'm sleeping but then I wake up when you two go to talk, but like I don't listen, I just know that, like, you help her a whole lot and stuff. Yeah, but anyway, nobody really cares that you're so close, it's basically a good thing, and it's just that you have that whole thing where like, you're the closest in the flock, because you love each other and everything."

The log that Fang had been holding in his hand snapped in two cleanly, piercing the air. Everything went silent, except for the bacon. Angel giggled.

Poor Fang.

Doing him a favor, I opened my eyes wearily and leapt to my feet, as I would do if waking up at any time. Five pairs of eyes shot in my direction – four pairs worried and a bit embarrassed, and one very thankful, yet suspicious.

Obviously, Fang knew I had been awake.

"Bacon?" I questioned, crinkling my nose. "Since when have we had…?"

"Fang went to town this morning," Iggy butted in. "Our favorite little mind reader managed to convince them to let us take free bacon."

I paused and chewed this over in my mind. "You couldn't take something a little more healthier… or more sensible?"

Iggy and Gazzy's jaws dropped in synchronization, and Fang grinned. "Yeah, she's fine," Iggy mumbled, and turned and walked away, prodding the bacon with a stick.

"Right now, would you prefer: an apple, or bacon?" Fang asked skeptically.

I stopped again. "You win," I granted him. "Regardless, it's horrible for you. Thank God I'm here to be leader, huh?" I winked.

He rolled his eyes. "Please."

I tried to look at him seriously, but failed and had to smile. "Be happy," I commanded, and then picked up a few empty water bottles from our bag and headed down to the stream to fill them up.

I was just thinking to myself quietly when it happened again.

The contents of my head split into a thousand pieces, and I shrieked, instantly dropping to my knees and pushing my hands against my splicing skull. Unfortunately, I'd been walking down a steep slope, and I began to roll down it at a high speed. I wasn't aware that I was anywhere near the water until I was in it, but then another scenario played in my mind, and I was in a different world.

_"Maximum," the sugary voice cooed again, sounding entertained and futile. "There you are again, drowning in your own defeat. It seems to happen a lot, doesn't it?"_

Another scream, only this time I was choking on water, thinking it was air. My lungs filled up, but I was only vaguely aware of this.

I could feel the Voice trying to keep me with it. _Max. Don't listen to it, _it begged. _Don't succumb. You can overcome it… push it out of your mind. _It was panicking, trying to push against the walls of the inside of my head, trying to rid me of the other demon voice inside my head. _Don't listen. You can do this. Don't let it win._

The pain was too great; I couldn't do much of anything.

_My head was barely above whatever I was sitting in – a dark, warm liquid, sloshing around unhealthily._

_Bile rose in my throat when I realized what it was._

_The red-eyed creature laughed. "Your friends' blood."_

_Another scream pierced the air, and this time was followed by painful heaves and coughs, but I couldn't free myself from the jail of my mind. Fang was yelling at me, I could hear him freaking out, and someone was crying loudly. Fang was the only one I could make out clearly, demanding that I breathe and spit out the water, that I stay conscious, that I don't die on him._

_"What do you want?" I screamed at the creature, the horrid smell rising into my nostrils. A pair of stark white wings hung over the doorway in the dark lit room, and a cry of emotional agony tore through the emptiness like a jagged knife when I realized whose they were._

_All of a sudden, my chest was aching nearly as much as my head, and I started to breathe faster and with more difficulty._

_"What do I want, Maximum?" the dark voice asked, now sounding a bit angry as it came closer. "What do I want? What don't I want? Look at you, so grown up and beautiful… strong… powerful." He paused and thought. "Unique."_

_His footsteps were the only thing I could hear, and I was breaking the sound barrier with the pitch of my screeches now, out of pain, out of loss, out of confusion. A whirlwind of stress was around me, and I didn't know what to do. A long nail reached out and stroked beneath my chin, making me shudder visibly.  
_

"Max!" Fang's voice cut through everything else at one moment, sounding positively horrified.

_Max, resist it! _the Voice urged, its tone just as terrified as Fang.

_"Max," came the demon's voice one final time. "It won't be long."_

Everything stopped.


	4. Doubt

* * *

3. Doubt

"_This is the epitome of everything you see in the movies,  
And this world is a time bomb ticking, and I think I can stop it if you help me.  
I am unraveling unbearably empty and if this ground gives way,  
I just hope that you'll catch me."_  
"Saved" The Spill Canvas

* * *

It was very dark when I came around.

Which was terrifying.

Though I kept my eyes shut, the lack of hue on my lids proved it was nighttime. If my ears did not deceive me, crickets and frogs were orchestrating the eerie silence all around me.

Every cell in my body ached. My head pounded with each even breath I took, and my limbs ached painfully. Gritting my teeth, I tried to roll over onto my stomach, but the second I moved my leg an inch, I had to grit my teeth and exhale my scream in a hiss.

Instantly, someone scurried to my side. "Max," Fang breathed, emotion pumping through his voice. "God…" he took in a shaky breath. "_Max_." I could hear the struggle in his voice. He was trying to hide his feelings.

I groaned lowly in pain. "What…?"

"You collapsed and rolled down the riverbank into the water. You almost drowned before I managed to get down there. It sounded like… you were in so much _pain_." His voice dropped even quieter.

Fang had never been this emotionally outright with me before. So… tender. Kind. Concerned.

"I'm sorry," I said, my voice a bit stronger.

"Don't apologize," he snapped. "Do you honestly think it's your fault?"

I ignored him. "Where are we?"

"In a cave. You've been asleep since this morning. It's almost one now."

"In the _morning?_"

I was suddenly aware of how hot I was, and I moved in discomfort. There was something heavy covering me, and whatever it was, it was extremely warm.

Fang moved it off me quickly. "It's cooler outside."

"I honestly don't know if I can move."

It was still for a moment, and then his careful hands were lifting me as carefully as he could. I ground my teeth in an attempt to prevent myself from crying out in pain. It'd make him feel horrible.

The cool air that swirled around us, along with the comforting light of the moon, helped a great deal. "Iggy's out here," he murmured. "He couldn't stand the dripping in the cave. It was really magnified to him, and he said he couldn't get any sleep."

"And he prefers the crickets."

Fang grinned.

When I caught a glimpse of his face in the moonlight, I could see every emotion splayed on out his face. He was concerned, but he was intrigued. Relieved. Amused. However, the most prominent was the worry that was etched into every pore – he was really, really freaking out over it.

He set me against a tree trunk easily and then sat next to me. Already I felt so much better, which amazed me. I stretched my arms in front of me, and my left leg. My right gave me some issues, but I'd be good by morning, I was sure.

We were quiet, only listening to the cool breeze rustle the leaves on the trees, and Iggy's soft, even breathing.

Was it pathetic that I was afraid to go to sleep? I didn't want to have another nice-dream/brain attack, followed by Demons R' Us. Not like I even knew what this "demon" was – a dark figure with blazing red eyes. Or maybe it was just a figure of my imagination?

That made me stop.

Could it just be my paranoid self creating odd obstacles that were merely nightmares? Maybe that person or thing represented a scientist from the school, or Jeb, or the evil Max who had killed Ari and hurt so many people.

But what if it was real?

The Voice had said it was my future.

The Voice had also been Jeb at one point.

Hadn't it?

Aggravated, I growled and pressed an open palm to my face.

"Are you okay?" Fang asked tentatively.

"Fine," I answered grimly. "I just…"

He scooted closer to me, putting one strong arm around my shoulders. He pulled me closer into him, and I submissively curled against his body, trying to blink back tears.

"I really just wish I knew what was going on," I admitted in a broken whisper.

Instantly, he pulled me even closer, pressing his face into my hair. "Don't worry about it," he murmured sincerely. "I will do everything in my power to make this okay. It _will _be okay. Everything's going to fine… everyone's going to make it through this. I just wish…" he trailed off and pulled back, meeting my eyes. "You would stop scaring the shit out of me."

I was startled into a smile, though it was a miserable one.

"I'm serious. Please."

Now his face had no hint of joking. He paused for a moment, thinking out his words carefully. "There are very few things on this planet that I could do without you," he decided, and then looked at me.

"I'm sorry," I whispered.

"Don't be."

"I can… hear you," I reasoned with him. "You're… the only voice I can pick out, besides _the _Voice and the… thing's voice. I just… I can't respond to you. I'm already screaming, which is bad enough… I can only imagine what _that's _doing to the kids…"

"They're just as worried as I am… and they don't even know as much. Gazzy's getting so many feelings off of you, it's terrifying him."

Guilt swept over me, and the same tears from earlier pricked behind my lids. "I hate this," I moaned. "What am I supposed to do? Tell them that I've been having weird, futuristic dreams about their _death? _About a guy who had me in a vat of _blood_, with _Angel's wings _hung over his _doorway?_ How he's telling me how it's all going to happen in time, and all this crazy stuff that I can't deal with?"

My voice had grown excessively loud as my hysteria had progressed, and now I realized I was sobbing, and Fang was rocking me gently in his arms. Brokenly, I could notice that Fang was different, too – he wasn't that unmoving statue when I needed him… he comforted me in a way I needed to be comforted.

Even in my deliriousness, I could hear that Iggy's gentle breathing had stopped, and now he was still as a rock up in the tree. "I'm sorry," I choked out to him, but he didn't respond. Fang rubbed my back gently.

I had no idea what to do, or how to deal with this. But Iggy knew now. And eventually, they all would have to know.

But I couldn't deal with that now.

So instead, I cried harder into Fang's chest, not bothering to stop the steady tear flow.


	5. Tagteam

This story's going to be a lot shorter than I planned, but that's okay (: Maybe ten chapters at the most, I'm not sure though.

* * *

4. Tagteam

_Listen to me, I can only say this once.  
Are you listening? See these empty hands,  
Know that it was all for you,_  
'_Til I see you again down by the lake._  
"The Lake" Aqualung

* * *

Bright and early the next morning, I rose slowly, stretching out each achy, tense muscle of my body. Once again I heard the voices of my flock, but this time they were carefree – I could hear Angel's high-pitched giggle ringing out like a platinum bell.

_Fun_, the Voice mused, and I was surprised that I wasn't instantly launched into a sour mood. _Something you haven't had for a while_.

So prepared was I to respond snidely, but I picked up an emotion almost never emitted by the Voice: sympathy.

_I'm sorry this is happening to you, Maximum._

_It's not your fault… for once._

We would make a great tagteam, Maximum… though regardless of how you feel about that, I will do everything in my power to stop these… premonitions from –

_Please_, I begged, _don't call them that. You can't know._

_I do, _the Voice whispered back. _I'm terribly concerned about you, Maximum._

Behind me, I heard a faint rustling, and I nearly jumped out of my skin.

Just the breeze.

Sighing, I rose to my feet. One day at a time.

I wandered aimlessly north, following the sound of Fang's powerful voice. When I located them, they were in a field, playing as close a game to baseball as they could manage. Fang always carried around a baseball, and a giant stick was used as a bat.

Fang was pitching, Angel was playing infield, and Nudge stood alone in the large outfield. Gazzy was up at bat.

I froze, realizing I'd counted only four birdkids.

Where was Iggy?

But he materialized as well, turning up behind home plate, doubling as a catcher and the on-deck batter.

Fang had sent him to watch over me, I realized, which annoyed me a bit. I quickly got over it when I watched Gazzy swing the "bat," sending the baseball flying through the air. Nudge snapped her wings open and rocketed upward, her bare hands closing around the ball. She laughed and shut her wings, reopening them just as her feet swept the dirt.

"Nice catch, Nudge," Fang complimented her, and she smiled. Gazzy grumbled and switched places with Iggy, throwing the bat at him, frustrated.

"You ain't got nothin', Fnick," Iggy snickered, spinning the stick potently as he stepped up to the plate.

Fang cracked a grin. "We'll see about that, Jeff."

Iggy tapped the ground in front of him twice with the branch, and Fang pulled his arm back, hurling the baseball forward like a cobra striking its prey.

A few things happened at once.

There was a gunshot from somewhere directly to the left of me, and a figure went down about a hundred feet away with a bloodcurdling scream that sounded alarmingly like my own. Before I could look, I was dragged the opposite direction as quietly and discreetly as possible.

The baseball game froze, everyone standing completely still until Nudge sprinted into the infield and stood by Fang, looking up at him anxiously. "F-Fang?" she asked, and then tore her eyes away to stare in the direction of the gunshot.

"Don't move," a vicious voice spat into my ear, and then pressed the barrel of a gun directly between my eyes.

I could scream, I figured. I could scream, and he would shoot me. I would die. Or I could be quiet, let them believe I was dead, and really survive… but for how long?

Obviously, I was going to choose option two. If I died, I would never be able to forgive myself.

"_Max?_" Fang shouted, and then he was a blur, running so fast that even my eyes couldn't catch him.

He nearly threw himself to the ground and started moving his hands busily, seemingly checking for a pulse and then continuing to choke out my name as he did so. Max II's body was on the ground, and Fang's hands were covered in her blood.

Iggy pushed the younger kids behind him, assuming a protective stance toward the direction the trouble came from.

Fang's voice was a choke now, though he continued to shake the body on the ground. "Max," he whispered, and put his head on top of his clasped hands, which rested on Max II's stomach. Oh, my God, Max."

Then Fang did something that I'd never seen him do once in the fifteen years I've known him, and I'm sure you all can guess what that was.

It was impossible for any show of emotion to look entirely natural on Fang's voice, but the silent tears that streamed down his cheeks looked alien. He made no effort to wipe them away or to hide his sorrow from the flock, and I'm not entirely sure that they knew what exactly was happening with him.

Nudge was old enough to understand what was happening, and merciless sobs ripped through her frail body as she attempted to get around Iggy, who was restraining her. "Max!" she screamed, the sound of her voice breaking my heart. "MAX!"

Gazzy simply turned into Iggy's side and cried, and but Iggy didn't move – his face was entirely blank, no expression emitting from his form. Angel had managed to get around him somehow, and she crashed into Fang now, wailing with agony.

Ari leant down again and whispered so low in my ear that not even Iggy could pick up on it, though the blind boy was certainly occupied. "How could you _do _this to them?" Ari cracked sarcastically, and I could hear the smile in his voice. "Poor Max II,_ hmm_, Maximum?"

"You're inhumane," I seethed back, but the gun clicked against my forehead and I decided I wouldn't say anymore.

_Go with it, Max,_ the Voice urged me. _They're going to take you to a building they recently built in this forest. The rest of the flock will stay here, Fang will eventually sneak out and find you… but that's when I'll have to leave you, _the Voice admitted. _The… visions take place then._

I exhaled strongly and looked up again, feeling my heart break once again as I watched my entire flock circle around what they thought was _my _body and cry as a whole. I was hoping one would identify a difference, something, _anything_, but it would be impossible. We were identical.

Ari swung my body over his shoulder and we hurried through the forest, perfectly silent, as I left my entire heart and soul behind.

* * *

Teehee.

Go read my new story, _Dissolve and Decay._


	6. Blind

I'm so sorry, dearies! I've been SO BUSY – science fair stuff, so much homework, field hockey games and practices... even now I'm supposed to be writing a history essay. All my files got lost and my computer confiscated, but I'm back on track. Please review! :)

* * *

5. Blind

_And in the end we lie awake  
And we dream we'll make an escape  
And in the end we lie awake  
And we dream we'll make an escape._  
"The Escapist" Coldplay

* * *

I gritted my teeth as I was dumped into an empty room with walls so bleached they put the White House to shame. Trying to awaken from the uncomfortable slumber I'd been in, I blinked and clenched my teeth as hard as I could.

Ari closed and locked the door behind him and then grinned evilly at me.

"So much agony on his face," he declared, his expression as if he were smelling roses for the first time. I imagined Fang's pain – put myself in the same position if he were dying – and my hands involuntarily balled into fists. "He was really hurt by your death, wasn't he?"

"Shut up, Ari," I spat through my teeth.

"Wonder what they'll do, knowing you're dead?"

"Fang won't fall for it," I lied easily, keeping my deathly stare on him, "it's all an act. There _are _differences, and he _does _know them."

"Where's the Boy Wonder now then, Batman? Such a tyrant you are... dragging the flock into battles they shouldn't have to fight. I've moved on to a different cause to fight for now; the one that haunts you in your dreams, Max? Fantasies that turn into brutal, inescapable nightmares? Surely, you know." He grinned widely.

I swallowed down my fear as best I could, finding my footing as he acted superior. Absently, I wondered if I could beat him in a fight like I had that time in the subway tunnel. Killing him didn't seem evil anymore.

"And I was wondering, if you're Batman, who does that make me?"

He smiled wildly again and snapped open a switchblade. "_Why so serious?_"

Some insanely strong force inside me was building up, but I had no idea what it was. More than fury, more than hate, past the point of insanity. I had absolutely no control over my actions, and I felt Maximum Ride seep away

"NO!" I shrieked, and something inside me snapped loose. I charged after Ari at an impossible speed, quicker than he could comprehend, and I plowed the left side of his face against the wall.

The rage in my blood was so thick it was like molasses, and I put my lips to his ear, not loosening my vice grip on his neck. "No," I whispered venomously, "no. You're more like Two-Face."

Without thinking, I pulled Ari's head back and then launched it with unmatched force at the white wall, not flinching when I heard his bones splinter. His body collapsed to the ground, and without another word I took the keys and unlocked the door.

As soon as I exited the room, every single light cut, and it was eerily silent.

Just like that, I felt Max come back. I felt the death on my hands and the fear in my heart battling with bravery. _Don't think_, I finally decided. _Just act._

_Maximum. Be careful. That ting you've been seeing in your dreams is here. Do you understand that? He's _here_, he's looking for you. You won't be able to see or hear him. I'm getting a map as we speak – do _not move_, do you hear me? _Stay –

"Maximum," a voice roared in my ear, "so nice to join us."

I instantly pivoted and fired a punch at the empty air, but I hit nothing. Then my feet were gone and something was on top of me, heavy and breathing shallowly. A hand caressed my face, but a warm, thick liquid was on the hand, the coppery smell making me panic.

A bloodcurdling, glass-breaking sound was unleashed, so loud I was sure the other side of the planet could hear it.

And then I realized it was me, screaming.

Fear had won over. The being picked me up and carried me, and I did not stop screaming.

_Voice_, I begged. _Please – help – anything! Don't leave me, stay, please, you have to help..._

There was silence, and finally my keening shout cut off into one loud, terrified sob. I was alone with a murderer, and predicted dead. The end of Maximum Ride.

———

Fang didn't think he'd ever felt so much pain in his entire life. No, he didn't think anything, actually – he knew. He didn't care that he was sobbing relentlessly over his dead best friend's body in front of people who had never seen him shed a tear, people he spent his life being strong for. Max was dead, and now he was too.

He honestly couldn't tell you how long they all cried. Hours, days, years. It all ran together as one for him now. No one had spoken, aside from Fang sobbing her name over and over at first. Now any syllable that dared bubble to their lips was cut off by a cry of anguish.

How had this happened? So fast, and no one had even claimed her murder. Now she was dead, and Fang hadn't told her so many things.

Night eventually fell, and the kids cried themselves to sleep. Fang remained awake, holding Max's hand, tracing lines on it absently.

It seemed impossible that even a bullet could kill Maximum Ride. He half expected her to jump up and laugh at him now, in which case he would beat the living shit out of her, and then light her on fire. Twice.

After that, though, he would kiss her. He'd kiss her as many times as he could get away with, with none of that "stay apart for the flock" bull. He would kiss her, and she would kiss him, and she would live and lead, and be happy.

"I love you," Fang told her, but did not look up from her pale hand. Subconsciously, he was afraid to look at her lifeless face, simply because Max's face had never, ever, _ever _been lifeless. Even her face of boredom or indifference had stripes of sarcasm or shadows of entertainment.

His hand slid down to her forearm, and he choked back his tears when he felt those stupid scars. He remembered that day so clearly – the lost expression on her face, her blood painting the sand with color, the way she had come to him, sobbing in stress and confusion. She'd been so vulnerable, and he was so relieved that he could help her, though he felt sick watching her cry, seeing her in pain.

Something about the scars struck him as odd. Something that made him excited; too excited.

"Iggy," he mumbled, ignoring the hoarseness of his voice.

Iggy twitched but didn't wake.

Now Fang searched for a light, still holding Max's limp hand and trying to wake Iggy.

"Iggy," he called clearer, louder. He racked his brain. She'd had the chip removed. Lost her arm. Stuff happened... they'd been caught. Her arm had worked again and –

"Iggy!"

"What?" Iggy snapped, sitting up and wiping his eyes.

"Oh, my God..." Fang trailed off, a number of excited curses trailing from his lips. He pulled out his flashlight and examined her scars, shivering in remembrance, but knowing now what was wrong.

"Fang, _what?_"

"The scars," he whispered to himself. His head shot up and his eyes met Iggy's. "Iggy, the _scars!_ The scars are there!"

Iggy was very quiet for a moment, and when he spoke, his voice sounded wise. "Fang," he said very gently and softly. "I know."

"But – "

"Fang."

Nobody spoke for a moment, and Iggy choked up. "Please. Just... don't remind Angel of that, okay? She's still trying to believe it's Max II. If the scars are there... it's just recurring proof that... it's actually... _Max_."

"No, Iggy – "

"_Fang_." Iggy's voice broke. "Please. Just... come on."

Fang rose and snapped his jaw shut. "Get everyone up. We need to – "

Suddenly, a scream pierced the air, long and unchanging. It sounded like –

"Max II," Iggy choked.

Now Fang's mind was in overdrive, making theories, searching for a plan. "Wake them up," he demanded, reaching over and shaking Gazzy's foot. Iggy smacked it away.

"Fang, no."

"Wake them up!"

"N – "

"Max is alive!" Fang shouted, and stood over Iggy, his shoulders heaving. "Give me a chance, _please! _That was _her_. I've heard her scream before. That was Max's _scream_. The scars – they shouldn't be there. Max is _alive_, but she won't be if you don't get your stupid ass up and help me wake up the kids!"

The sound of steady breathing had since evaporated into the night air, and there was a choked sound – Nudge trying to withhold a sob. "Iggy," she said quietly, "what's wrong with Fang?"

Aggravated, Fang pivoted on his heel and took off into the forest.

Max was alive, and he knew it. And he would save her.

Alone, if he had to.


End file.
